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John Huntley (1622-1676)
}} Biography John Huntley is on record in Boston, Massachusetts, as early as 12 January 1647, when he signs as witness to power of attorney. He was in Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1659, and two years later removed to Lyme, Connecticut, where he spent the rest of his life. When that town was incorporated by Separatists from Saybrook, in 1667, he was one of its inhabitants and helped to frame its laws. The name of his first wife was Jane. After her death he married in 1669, Mary BARNES. He died in Lyme, 15 November 1676, leaving wife, not mentioned by name in his will of that date, and several sons and daughters. 1660 Fist Settlers of Lyme CT c.1660: Settled in Lyme, Connecticut. Many citizens of Salem, Massachusetts migrated to Lyme, CT about the same time. He lived in the section now called East Lyme or Huntley Hollow. (7) John HUNTLEY removed from Roxbury to that section of Saybrook, CT Colony called "East Saybrook" on the east bank of the "greate river, Connecticut." His removal may have been through his acquaintance with Richard SMITH, who settled in Lyme ca. 1660. The cost of becoming a settler in Lyme apparently was 100 pounds per family, the whole township being an estate of some 3,500 pounds. Perhaps 35 individuals purchased a share of the new plantation but a few sold out to others so that only 30 families can be considered the "first settlers" of Lyme. The DeWOLFEs, LORDs and HUNTLEYs were among the first settlers of Lyme. (2) First settlers of Lyme: John HUNTLEY, Matthew BECKWITH, Peter BLATCHFORD, John BORDEN, Thomas BRADFORD, William BRIGGS, Wolston BROCKWAY, Capt. Thomas BULL, Henry CHAMPION, John COMSTOCK, Balthazar DeWOLFE, Thomas DUNK, George DUREN, Richard ELY, Matthew GRISWOLD, Joseph HAND, John LAY, Thomas LEE, Hugh LEES, William LORD, Lt. Renold MARVIN, Rev. Moses NOYES, Joseph PECK, Robert PERIGO, Henry PETERSON, John ROBBINS, Richard SMITH, John TINKER, John TILLOTSON, Ens. William WALLER, Capt. Abraham WATROUS, Ens. Isaac WATROUS. (5) Henry BENNET settled next to the farm of John HUNTLEY in Lyme. Vital Records Huntley Last Will His will, so typical of its period in spelling and style, is on record at Lyme, and is here presented verbatim: The last will @ testament of John Huntley being very sick @ Weak of body bot of perfect memory 16 Novem; 1676 Imprimis # I give @ bequeath my Soule to god that gave my body to the earth from whence it came to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter mentioned. # I give @ bequeath to my dear @ beloved wife the one thurd part of all my estate @ my dwelling house to live in peaceably during her naturall life. # I give @ bequeath --------- upon @ a part of the frute of the orchard as my wife @ he shall agree @ on thurd part of the increase of all my land unto him @ his heirs forever he improveing his time upon it; @ after the Decease of my wife all the Lands @ meadow of mine in the towne of Lyme paying unto each of my Children on his possessing of the lands tenn pounds apeece viz; to my Sonn Moses tenn pounds to my Daughter Elizabeth ten pounds to my Daughter Mary tenn pounds to my Daughter Sarah tenn pounds to my Daughter Alice tenn pounds: And of this my last will @ testament I doe appoynt @ make my dear @ loveing wife @ my Sonn Aaron ye Joynt executors: Signed @ Sealed @ published in the presence of us John Huntley (X) Beltasare Dewolfe, Wm Measurer The following note appears on same page with above: John Huntley Children are two Sonns and foure Doughters Mosis aged 24 years Aaron aged 22 years elisabeth aged aboute 19 years marah aged about 13 years Sarah aged aboute 7 years: Alice about 3 years. Acted this 8th. December 1678 by us: Wm Measurer, John Peck Townsmen -Probate Files. Research Notes Most names here can be found as grandparents of Aaron Huntley (1680-1748)/tree: We have puzzled over an entry found on page 29 of the Champion Genealogy, by Francis Bacon Trowbridge, concerning Susanna, wife of Henry Champion who died in Lyme in July, 1704, wherein it states that she married (2) "John Huntley, senior, of Lyme." The above will and the notation following, it will be observed, contain no mention of a son John being among the children of John Huntley. Moses Huntley had a son John born in 1636, and Aaron Huntley had a son John born in 1677, either of whom might have been old enough to marry Susanna (Dewolf) Champion after the death of her husband in 1704, but neither would be old enough to have had a mature son John at the time, so as to merit the appellation of "senior." On the other hand, it seems strange that, had John Huntley, the first, had a son John among his children, no mention of him should have been made at the time of the settlement of the former's estate in 1678. The DeWolf Family, Perry, (109), mentions also these two marriages of Susanna DeWolf's, through Sheldon, in his History of Deerfield (2:141), suggests that she married Joseph Beckwith, of Lyme. It is a mystery that may some day be solved. References * John Huntley I - Joseph Smith Sr Genealogy Wiki * John Huntley - GENI